Don't Forget To Remember
by Princess Santa Clause
Summary: Following the wind has always been the way of Aikomi Hoshiko and when that wind leads her to Konoha, she'll meet some interesting new people. ***Takes place before Orochimaru's betrayal while they're all in one squad. NOT YAOI!
1. Chapter 1

Remember Not to Forget

Chapter 1: I Am The Wind's Guest

Upon the wind along Konaha that traveled the lands so gently every evening, a figure appeared over the Horizon. She traveled with the wind, walked with the clouds, ran with the night sky. She was the very embodiment of the wind's grace, the human form of the breeze, the sprirt of light and purity itself. She moved at night, walking while the moon was at its highest point in the sky. Yet never had she stumbled upon the village of leaves, the land of fire, until this night. The way she viewed it, she saw it as a quiet, peaceful town. It was like the very place she'd been wishing to settle down in. While she'd wandered nearly every inch of the shinobi world, no village quite satisfied her need for peace until now.

While at first glance she was a human spirit, her personality was admittedly... contradicting. Quirky to say the least. Her white hair fell a few inches above her waste, her eyes were the deepest violet one could hope to see. From her previous voyage to the land of snow, her skin was quite pale, her body so small and petite that it seemed to be so fragile. She sat down on the bench in the village, watching the night. It was all so still and lifeless. She recited a poem she'd learned long ago that seemed to trigger upon seeing the bare streets.

_**"When does a ninja strike?  
A ninja strikes when the time is right.  
When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard.  
When his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night.  
That is the time for a ninja to strike..."**_

She smiled slightly at the fond memory and pulled her legs up onto the bench, crossing them then placing her elbows upon her knees. She decided if she would now be on the move during the day, she'd need her rest and inner relaxation. She meditated silently, taking in every breeze, every ripple of the wind, every star that shoned down on her, every ray of moonlight.

~~~The Next Morning~~~

There was a slight poke at her side that frayed her indpeth concentration. She opened one eye and glanced over, seeing a small child. It was a boy, seeminly around age 7. He has ebony hair and large, innocent green eyes. "Can I help you?" She asked, lowering her arms and sitting in a more casual position. The boy sat down next to her, "I'm sorry miss. You just looked kind of strange sitting like that. I passed by you earlier and you were the same." He replied sincerely. The girl looked up lightly, noticing he was with 3 other children. There was a red haired girl with blue eyes who seemed slightly impatient at the moment, the was a bluish black haired boy with onyx eyes who just seemed slightly annoyed, and there was a very kind looking blond girl with odd, magenta eyes.

She glanced down at the ebony haired boy and smiled. "Well I appologize for scaring you. I was in meditation." She replied. "Oh really?" The bluish black haired kid question with a snort. He seemed to be mocking her. "Yeah really." She replied, in the same mocking tone. There was a brief staredown before around the same point in time they broke it off and glared in another direction. "It's Okay, miss." The ebony haired boy replied. "I'm Daisuke Enturo by the way." He told her, extending a hand. She gently took his hand and shook it while he went down the line, pointing to the others.

First he pointed to the bluish black haired boy, "That's Masaru Uchiha. He's not as bad as you think, he's just kinda stubborn." Next he pointed to the red haired girl, "That's Tsubame Mizuko. She's really nice as long as you don't make her mad." Last but not least he pointed to the blond haired girl, "That's my sister, Yasuko. She's really nice." He finished. She nodded, making a real effort to remember all of their names. "I'm Aikomi Hoshiko." She replied without hesitation. The blond girl nodded, "Oh! You're name mean Beautiful Child Of Love right? Wow I love it!" She excitedly said in a starstruck manner. Daisuka and Aikomi sweatdropped slightly. "Beautiful. As if." Masaru scoffed. Tsubame said nothing, only tapped her foot impatiently.

Minutes ticked by as Aikomi spoke to the children until Tsubame decided to voice finally. "We need to hurry up! We'll be late for the Academy!" She snapped sternyly. "Oh! I almost forgot! Why didn't you say something sooner?" Daisuke gasped. "Sorry Ms. Aikomi! We have to go!" He said, lingering a bit longer than the others who'd gone on ahead. "Before you go. Do you know of anyplace to relax?" She asked the boy who was now running in place. "Uh! yeah! Right over a bridge down that road is a training place but the squad that usually trains there is away on mission. You should go try there! Gotta go now! BYE!" He shouted, speeding off down the path and toward the Academy and disappearing over the hill.

Aikomi smiled fondly as she stood and stretched, walking down the street she'd been told to. She looked around at all of the features. There were merchant stands dotting the streets along with crowds of people she weaved through. Just as she'd been told there was a small bridge leading over a narrow river. She paused and looked over the side at her own reflection. She patted down the strands of hair on the top of her head that stood slightly on end and smiled. That's when she continued over the bridge, stopping at a thicket which she climbed through without too much difficulty.

It really was beautiful. It was a flat grassland, trees surrounding it to make it more of a clearing. In the center of the clearing were three, wide wooden posts with kunai and shuriken poking out from it. It made her slightly skeptical. If the team was off on mission, why did the marks from the shuriken appear o fresh? She got closer, placing her hand on the shuriken. "That's curious..." She whispered to herself. Aikomi was about to pull the shuriken out to examine the impact scar on the wood when she felt the air around her shift in an unsettling way. She moved out of the way quickly, just in time to avoid a shuriken to the back of her head. It cut off a few strands of her hair before hitting the wooden post directly in the center. Stomping came from out of another thicket and Aikomi turned to see a blond haired girl pulling a white haired boy by his ear.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU BONEHEAD!" She shouted, whacking him over the head with enough force to make him smack the ground face first. "Well she shouldn't have been in the way!" He shouted back. A gray haired man that seemed alot older came out next and sighed, rubbing his forhead. "Tsunade, Jiraiya. That's quite enough." He grumbled, seeming tired of their bickering. "He started it." Tsuande said under her breath. "I started it? YOU hit me over the head!" He retorted and the two were at it again. The older man rubbed his head once again the paused, looking around. "Have you two seen Orochimaru?" He asked. The two paused and shook their heads before they went back to fighting. "This squad is a mess..." He sighed then looked forward. "Eh?" He approached Aikomi.

"And who are you?" He asked. "Aikomi Hoshiko." She replied as she'd done before. "I see. You don't seem to be around here. So go on and tell. What are you doing here?" He asked bluntly. "Well I've traveled just about all the Shinobi villages and this oen by far seemed to be the most peaceful. I think I can make a good home here." She replied. "Well Hoshiko. I am Sarutobi Sandaime. It's nice to see a new face in the village from time to time. These are my pupils. Tsuande and Jiraiya. There's another fellow around here somewhere, quiet boy that goes by the name of Orochimaru... He does disappear from time to time but... Guess I should be used to it.." He trailed off, by the end he seemed to be talking to himself. Aikomi nodded to Tsunade and Jiraiya who seemed to be caught up in their _discussion_ to notice her.

"I didn't mean to disturb your training." Aikomi sincerely appologized, bowing slightly with respect. "I was just looking for a place to relax."  
Sarutobi nodded, placing a hand on his beard, "Yes well... There's a training field right through those bushes. It shouldn't be as loud with them as cover." She nodded and turned toward the field, sweatdropping slightly. "... Great. More of those stupid bushes." She grumbled under her breath, placing a hand on some of the fresh scratches from the last bush she climbed through. She slipped through alot simpler this time and sat in the middle of the clearing. Sarutobi was right, she couldn't hear anything really. Just the chirping birds or rustling leaves here and there.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: An Enemy Already?

**Disclaimer: NARUTO ISN'T MINE! ... That is all... Read the story now...lol... no really...read the story... now...**

She allowed herself to drop her guard, something she noramlly never did. It was just so peaceful it didn't seem like there could possibly be another threat for miles. She sat against a tree and stared up at the sky, watching the clouds blow by. It just seemed so... serene. She felt her eyes close for a moment before she reopened them. There was a boy in front of her. His hair was long and black, falling down his back straight as an arrow. His golden eyes seemed to stare through her, but he didn't say anything, only looked at her. They seemed caught in a somehwat tense stare. He gave a stern stare, kind of like a predator would give one that trespassed on his land. "Who are you?" He questioned coldly.

Aikomi didn't reply at first. She was somewhat bewildered by his behavior, not to mention his appearence. He was... snake-like... it was kind of strange to see. "I could ask you the same question." She replied boldly after what seemed like hours yet was only about a minute or two. "This is my village." He spoke even colder. And while she didn't pick up on it right away, she noticed a sound in his annunciation. It sounded like he was giving a bit of a hiss whenever he pronounced an 'S'; Adding to his snake like qualities. "Well it's mine now too." Aikomi retorted. The stares continued, light breezes swirling leaves around them in a dramatic fashion. He seemed unaffected by what seemed to be her attempts to avoid anwering his question. He was a bit frustrated but he'd learned to conceal his frustration and keep a cool demeanor.

"Listen here. I'm a ninja here in Konaha and if I ask you a question I expect a direct answer." ... The silence watfed about once more. "Konoha ninja or not every citizen is entitled to his or her personal affairs. Bottomline? ... Your questions? I'm not oblidged to answer." He grit his teeth, this was the first person, female or not that'd actually been able to make him show his distaste or frustration aside from Jiraiya... bit he was just a fool. Aikomi remained physically unchanged,her face just as calm now as it'd been when they'd began their so-called interrogation.

Jiraiya spilled out of the bushes, a footprint vividly displayed on his butt. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET YOU PERVERT!" Tsuande shouted through the thicket. Sarutobi gave another sigh. Jiraiya sat up and rubbed his head with a groan, "I told you it was an accident! GOD!" He shouted. The black haired boy seemed to show even more irritation as he turned and glanced at Jiraiya. He turned away with his brow twitching in irritation. "Oh hey! You're um... whats-her-name, right?" Jiraiya questioned. Aikomi sweatdropped slightly, "Ah... Yeah. First name whats-her and last name is name." She said with a chuckle. "Seriously?" He gasped. She sweatdropped, "AH. No not really! My name is Aikomi Hoshiko." She replied. "Oh! Ok. Well..." He trailed off, looking in mystery boy's direction. "Hey there, Snakey! Where'd you run off to? Sarutobi-sensei was lookin for ya." He teased.

This caught her attention. Not just the Snakey part but the part about Sarutobi looking for him. This must've been the missing squad member, Orochimaru. The black haired boy turned to Jiraiya. "Don't call me snakey." He said in a slight monotone. "Sheesh Orochimaru, you've got no sense of humor." the white haired boy groaned. "I do. But that is not humor. It is idiocy." He replied. Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Uhuh. Sure. Whelp. See ya around." He said, diving back throuugh the bushes. Orochimaru turned to Aikomi again with a deadly glare in his eyes. It was then she noticed his extreme killer intent. He seemed like the type that could kill without warning and yet he didn't. Like a snake... he could be soothed yet he could be unpredictable when angry.

This time, Aikomi's bravery faltered slightly under the intense glare. "What?" She asked, hiding her hands behind her as they were trembling slightly. Though for some strange reason she didn't know whether she was trembling with fright or anticipation. "Are you looking for a fight or something?" She asked next without realizing it. Orochimaru glared. "A fight with you? You're obviously out of your mind." He replied harshly. She stood and folded her arms. "I think I can do better than you're giving me credit for." She defended, shooting him a slight glare. "I will not fight you." He growled. "Quit being so scared." She urged. Quite frankly fighting was the last thing she'd want to do but it intrigued her to know what he was capable of. A small smirk showed on the snake boy's face. "Alright then, if you're in such a hurry to lose." He finally agreed, and to be honest he seemed to be anticipating it just as much as she.

They walked to opposite sides of the clearing, located directly across from each other. Aikomi knew better than to underestimate the boy before her and lowered into a fighting stance, having one foot ready too kick off at a run and having a hand down on the ground to help push off with. Orochimaru was unfazed. He remained standing, smirking as he waved his hand, signalling to the girl to take the first move.

Aikomi reached into her weapons pouch, pulling out sixteen shuriken. She placed one on each finger of her hands and through the other four up into the air. She threw her hands into multiple handsigns at a fast speed, holding out the last handisign. The shurikens that were on their way back to the ground, paused and lifted back up into the air, rotating faster and faster and faster. They were soon spinning extremely fast like pinwheels in a tornado. "Windstyle! Kasen Shuriken!" She said, allowing the four floating shurikens to fly at Orochimaru at an incredibly fast speed. He opened his mouth and a kunai exited, wrapped in his tongue. It moved quickly, clashing against the shurikens and emitting multiple bright sparks.

Aikomi stayed calm, and for some strange reason kept her fingers intertwined in the last handsign of her previous sequence. Orochimaru disappeared, reappearing behind her with a smirk as he took the kunai from his mouth and held it tightly in his hand. She didn't move as he thrusted the kunai into her back, driving it deep until he couldn't even see the loop of it anymore.

**A/N: Snakey Doesn't play! x3 He wants le blood... my best advice? xD SCREAM BLOODY MURDER!**


	3. Chapter 3: An Unlikely Friend

Chapter 3: An Unlikely Friend

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! If I did... Well... I don't know... But it would be BIG! Maybe Penguins would attack Suna! :DDD**

The wound in Aikomi's was suddenly unvisible as her body disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru seemed slightly alarmed and definitely more alert now as he looked around. _A clone? _ Aikomi still held her hands in the seal as she hopped out from a treebranch, throwing kunai, senbon, and paperbombs up in the air. She opened her mouth, blasting a large gust of wind from her mouth that propelled the weapons forward. Explosions sounded off in sequence while kunai and senbon struck the ground in various places. She looked around hastily through the smoke and ductclouds had emitted, trying to locate his form so that she wasn't caught off guard by any attacks. She finally released the handseal to look around as she closed her mouth, stopping the gust of wind. A sudden strike slammed into the dip between her shoulder and neck.

She gasped in slight shock as she was temporary paralyzed. Her mobility returned to her alot faster than Orochimaru had expected. He showed the palm of his hand to her, snakes erupting from it and headed straight for her limbs. The snakes binded her limbs to her like ropes... venemous, scaley, sharp-tooth, predatory ropes. Orochimaru walked toward her, three senbon in his hand. "Hmm.. How disappointing." He sighed. Suddenly the snakes all writhed with agony, one by one they fell to the ground, bleeding from slashmarks and curling up before hissing and slithering away. "What..." Orochimaru trailed off then paused and glared when she held up her hands, showing the now bloodied shuriken on her fingers. She hopped backwards and smirked.

They stared at each other unmoving, sizing each other up and predicting one another's next move. It was obvious to Orochimaru she was most comfortble with Windstyle Justu though it remained unknown what justu element Orochimaru specialized in, he currently had the upper hand in the information gathering game. They were so into the intensity of their fight they didn't notice the spectators. Jiraiya and Tsuande watched, mouths agape while Sarutobi inspected them without his thoughts being quite as clear.

Aikomi decided it was time for a game of surprise. She looked over, smiling as she saw a very small and almost nonexistent puddle of a pond. It wasn't large and it didn't have that much water so she'd have to use it wisely. "So you use water style too?" Orochimaru seemed to question to himself. He ran forward, kunai appearing in each hand. Aikomi punched forward, allowing the kunai to clash with the shuriken and create sparks. She breathed a bit quicker with slight fatigue mixed with anticipation. They matched each other blow for blow, their weapons clashing with every meet. She swept low, attempting to knock him off of his feet but he jumped over it. She needed some way to distract him while she made her way over to the pond. She suddenly had an idea.

The weapons clashed once again and when they took their quick pause before the next clash, she formulated her plan. Orochimaru seemed perfectly fine though his exhale was also a bit shaky. He got ready to clash again. They ran forward shurikens clashing kunai again and this time when they drew back to clash again, she flicked her right wrist, sending the four shuriken flying for Orochimaru at close range. Though this move was smart, it left Aikomi's hand open to the kunai. A cut ran from just above her wrist to just below her index finger. She ignored the bleeding and looked up slightly. He was completely caught off guard by the incoming shuriken though it showned very little facially. She ignored the unsureness brought about by his lack of expression and slid across the ground, over to the pond, kicking up grass.

Aikomi used quick handsigns, lifting water up and over in front of her. She was ready to have a water dragon technique but Orochimaru had recovered so quickly and was already headed toward her, ready for the next clash. She froze slightly before thinking fast. She put more shuriken over her left fingers and used the water floating above her to drench the ninja stars. Adding it as quickly as she could, wind was put into the equation, quickly icing over the weapons on her fingers. Aikomi lifted her hands fast just as he'd come in for the next clash. As the kunai hit the shuriken, ice flew out in a flurry of shards that cut both Aikomi and Orochimaru like glass, leaving small pinpoints in their skin.

After the flurry cleared, they both stood, breathing heavily and pretty much out of energy. Aikomi looked up slowly at Orochimaru who returned the glance. They both seemed to hold a new respect and admiration for the other. And to say she caught him off guard with her next move would be an understatement. She walked up close to him in a monster-like stagger, arms swinging by her side slightly giving the impression that they'd gone limp. She walked up and stopped about a half of a foot away from him. Slowly she lifted her right hand and moved it toward him.

Aikomi held out her hand and smiled. "Good Game..." She said then chuckled, "No rematch... yet." Tsunade and Jiraiya chattered extremely fast on their fingernails while Sarutobi smiled slightly. Orochimaru's eyes were slightly widened, pupils reduced nearly to small dots. "..." He remained silent as seconds turned to minutes. He was... quite unsure of what to do in this sort of situation. Of course he held new respect for her after that fight she put up. But he was still uneasy. Another wind blew through as Orochimaru raised his hand. Tsunade and Jiraiya watched wide-eyed. He reached out and they shook hands. "Yes... Good game." He said quietly.

**A/N: THAT'S CHAPTER 3! D: Aw man I wish I would get some reviews! :/ REVIEW PLEASE! Dx**


	4. Chapter 4: Misunderstanding

Chapter 4: Misunderstanding

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO! FML! Dx :3 But I do own Aikomi. **

"Well I'll be..." Sarutobi said under his breath. Jiraiya yawned and stretched out, his elbow hitting Tsuande's chest slightly. She planted her elbow firmly on his head, "YOU'RE SUCH A PERVERT!" She shouted again. "THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT TOO!" He yelled. Sarutobi massaged his temples in irritation. Orochimaru and Aikomi turned to the three, not saying anything. Orochimaru cleared his throat, making Aikomi looked down. "oh!" She released his hand and laughed. "My bad!" She chuckled. "I'M Hungry!" Jiraiya shouted. Sarutobi shook his head, "We got absolutely nothing done. If you want to eat I suggest you treat youselves." He grumbled, disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Jiraiya sweatdropped, "Hey... You think he's mad?" He asked.

Tsunade shook her head, "Nah! Course not!" Jiraiya pouted, "I didn't need his money anyway" He grumbled, turning over to Tsunade. "Hey Tsunade... Can you buy my ramen?" He asked. "Forgot your wallet?" She asked. "Nah. Just don't wanna pay."

Aikomi and Orochimaru sweatdropped while Tsunade stood up and poofed away. Jiraiya sighed, "Oh c'mon!" He whined, throwing his hands up. "I could... buy your ramen if you'd like." Aikomi offered, making the white haired boy perk up. "Awesome!" He shouted, hopping up and grinning. "Comin' Orochimaru?" He then asked Orochimaru who looked down, scowling slightly. "Yeah." He mumbled. "OROCHIMARU! COMING TO A SOCIAL THING? OH GOD IT'S THE APOCOLYPSE!" Jiraiya teased in a shout, making Aikomi sweatdrop slightly.

Both of them followed behind Aikomi. To be honest she had entirely no idea where she was going but she was determined to find the ramen shop somehow. She trecked in circles around the village then turned to a path she hadn't yet traveled. She looked at a path she'd yet to travel."Hey... Hey Guys?" She then turned around to see Orochimaru and Jiraiya were no longer behind her. "Did they just go the right way and not tell me?" She questioned then sighed, figuring this must be the last path and eventually lead to the Ramen shop. She decided she should just keep going, there was no way she could explore nearly ever street and side road in the village without even seeing a clip of the Ramen Bar. She walked down the alleyway, getting closer to the other end. "Hey! There it is!" She shouted contently to herself. Just then a hand clapsed over her mouth. "Get the chakra ropes. I think we have our girl." A Deep voice demanded.

Jiraiya looked around his face depicting somewhat worry. "Hey. Where did Aikomi go? I could have sworn she was right in front of us a second ago." He said to Orochimaru who also began looking around. "She obviously didn't seem to know where she was going... She could have taken any turn." Orochimaru replied, he didn't seem worried at all. He'd fought Aikomi himself. He knew she wasn't a pushover. "Well... Long as she didn't go through Dead Man's Alley... She'll be fine.." The White haired boy yawned, stretching upwards as he seemed to go into a more relaxed state. "Agreed."

Aikomi thrashed. Her hands were now being bound by ropes. All she knew was that they were referred to as chakra ropes. So She got the impression that they were ropes made from and thickened by a mass amount of chakra. Immediately she concentrated, her intention being to fight chakra with chakra and by making icicles shoot from her skin as she'd done once before. What she got was definitely a surprise; Nothing. She looked down at her skin, not even a breakage where the icicles should have came from. Nothing at all. The ropes were still in tact and the icicles were nowhere to be found. What did bewilder her, was the fact she now felt an intensified feel of fatigue. More than that jutsu should have been capable of pushing onto her. Usually it would have zapped a bit of her chakra with no physical effects, but at the moment is felt as if she was fighting between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Looking up, everything seemed to be spinning, suddenly giving her double vision. One thing that clearly stood out, popped out at her even in vivid distinction, was a strangely designed mask. It reminded her of the tracker ninja she'd seen in crossing the border of the Mist Village. "Keep her quiet and make sure those ropes don't drain too much chakra. We'll need her for answers."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!"

Suddenly Aikomi's vision returned, giving her a pounding headache. She turned quickly, seeing Jiraiya and Orochimaru standing at the end of the alleyway. She lifted both of her tied hands, placing them on her head. She spared a glance at her feet, seeing her ankles were tied with the same ropes. Now she understood. They weren't chakra embued ropes, they were chakra absorbing ropes. Aikomi definitely wasn't idiotic enough the try another jutsu, so instead she twisted her body, trying to reach into her weapons pouch for a kunai or senbon. "Stay out of this kids. What we have hear is a dangerous criminal. Leader of the Black Roses." The Anbu replied. "Leader of the... You've got to be... You have the wrong girl!" Aikomi shouted as soon as her mouth was released.

"Her name is Aikomi Hoshiko." Orochimaru added. "Looks kids. There was a robbery on this street just an hour ago followed by a death. We come back and this girl is here." The Anbu replied. "Well that's not right!" Jiraiya shouted. "She was at the training fields with us and our sensei an hour ago." Orochimaru agreed. The Anbu looked at one of his team members before untying the chakra ropes. "She's going to be under constant surveilence. We won't be convinced until the "real" Leader of the Black Roses is brought into custody."

Aikomi bolted over to Orochimaru and Jiraiya. "Guess we're gonna have to find the leader of the Black Roses now won't we?" She questioned, then quickly receeded, holding her head in somewhat pain. "I'm up for it." Jiraiya nodded. "You both are insane." Orochimaru blinked a few times, turning to them as if they'd lost their minds. "The Black Roses is a group of ninja just below Anbu level. Going after them as Genin is certain death." He told them.

Jiraiya and Aikomi spared a glance at each other, then went about talking as if Orochimaru had nevr spoken. "So. Stakeout. Tonight sound good?" Aikomi questioned. The white haired boy nodded, "Sounds like a plan, sounds like a plan."

**A/N: So yah! Next Chapter is the Stake out! xD Read and Review pwease! Laters!**


	5. Chapter 5: Setup

**Disclaimer: :D I don't own Naruto but hey, I'm proud to say I do own all of my original characters including Aikomi, Daisuke, Masaru, Etc.**

Orochimaru leaned on the table of the Ramen Bar, neglecting his ramen for the time being, "You two are kidding, right?" He questioned with a raised brow and knowing look.

"Nope. Sure aren't," Chirped Jiraiya between slurps of ramen.

"Going to Dead Man's Alleyway at night is like begging for death."

"But how else will we clear my name?" Asked Aikomi who was delicately eating her ramen, seeming surprisingly chipper for one that was nearly taken into custody for questioning. She paused, moving the chopsticks from her lips and glancing down at the bowl, "But why did they suspect me so quick?"

"Well. Deadman's Alley Way was ruled out of all routes a long time ago. All that passes through there now are criminals. Even Anbu have tried to catch them, but most of them are really crafty."

Masaru turned, Daisuke, Tsubame and Yasuko turning as well, perking up curiously.

"Did you just say Dead Man's Alley?" Daisuke asked with a curious expression.

"Huh? Oh! Hey kids! Yup, we sure did.." Aikomi chimed.

"What could you possibly be doing in Deadman's Alley beside getting yourself killed?" Masaru cockily huffed.

"Masaru.." Daisuke lightly whispered in a scold to the Uchiha who merely shrugged, unfazed.

"Actually, we're looking for the leaders of some Black Roses thing." Jiraiya said quickly, turning around with noodles hanging from his chin.

The group of children gaped, "WHAT?!"

"The Leader of the Black Roses?!" Gaped Tsubame. This was the first time she truly seemed shocked or taken off guard in any way.

"Oh NOW you idiots are just asking for it!" Masaru snapped.

Aikomi lowered her head slightly to meet at eye level with the Uchiha boy,"Have I ever told you that you are one of the most dedicated supporters I have..?"

"Eh?" He shook his head quickly, "No..?"

"Good. Remind me never to do so either."

The two of them exchanged a quick glare, before Orochimaru spoke up, "Enough with terrorizing the children. We still have no idea how we're even to go about this."

"How hard could a stakeout be..?" Questioned Aikomi and Jiraiya simultaneously, heads tilted to the side.

"You Need SPYWARE and Cool tools! And super powers!" Chirped Yusuki. Her mind wandered off onto a million different pictures of how the stakeout could be planned out, a large grin widening over her lips. To this, Orochimaru could only shake his head, "Children..." He muttered, "No. What we need, is a plan in which we can locate this so called "Leader of the Black Roses" Without getting ourselves killed or caught."

"Well wearing black could help.. We're staking out at night, so it would help us to wear black clothes and blend in.."

Orochimaru turned to Daisuke who had uttered the statement, a brow raised, "We? Us? What is this nonsense?"

"Well…I just thought it would be fun to come along.." Daisuke said under his breath, looking down and running his toe through the dirt beneath his feet.

"Absolutely not."

"Aw but-"

"For once I agree with Orochimaru.." Jiraiya looked serious, stern, and rigid in his expression for a moment, his lips pulled into a thin line, "We can't risk you guys getting hurt.."

"Aikomi! Tell them it's-"

"They're right, Daisuke. We're just looking out for your well-being.." Aikomi said, hands resting on under her chin and a frown on her face, "Sorry guys.."

The children sighed with disappointment, their arms falling limp to their sides, all except Masaru who seemed indifferent. "Well let's go then, guys…" Daisuke muttered softly, walking away with his eyes on his feet and lip poked out slightly. Within moments, the children had disappeared down the road.

"Aw.. Maybe we were a little too rough on them.." Aikomi whimpered, feeling a pang in her chest after seeing the children sulk off the way they had.

"We don't have any time for sympathy, Aikomi. It's getting dark and if we're gonna do this, we need to figure something out, and quick." Jiraiya said. It was a little of a shock to see him so focused, but one could only assume this cause was important to him.

From far atop the hokage tower, the Anbu from earlier were busy keeping their promise. They observed Aikomi with attentiveness and careful analysis. "She doesn't seem too bad.." The first Anbu said, shrugging nonchalantly. He straddled the railing of the tower while glancing between the trio chattering at the Ramen bar and his fellow comrade.

"Keyword; Seem. We can't trust assumptions." The other Anbu replied gruffly. From the sound of his voice, one would guess he was a middle aged man, one with perhaps a habit of smoking with the sound of his rasping.

"Funny for you to say that, you sure were quick to trust your assumption when it came to linking her with a gang…"

"That was more than just assumption!" The older of the two Anbu now seemed to become more aggressive, or maybe just the strong defensiveness simply came off as aggression, "Dead Man's Alleyway is only traveled by thugs, gangs, and criminals. That is a FACT."

"Just because all thugs, gangs, and criminals navigate through Dead Man's Alleyway, doesn't mean all that travel through Dead Man's Alleyway are thugs, gang members, or criminals."

"Don't attempt to sound intelligent," The elder Anbu scolded. He stood and walked over to his younger comrade, looking over from the rail at the three who seemed to be deep into a conversation, "You can't trust what you see on the outside. You never can, it simply doesn't pan out. Do you not remember that incident of that Crime Lord seeking refuge in Konoha?"

"Oh I remember, boss." The young Anbu replied.

"She lived among us for five years. Deceiving us all and pulling the strings of multiple disappearances and felonies right from under our noses."

"She also clouded our judgement.."

"Indeed she did, Notsu. From what I recall.. She almost got away with all that she did.."

"From what I recall," Notsu began, "She was your wife…"

"…."

Notsu, from behind his mask, glanced over to his boss, noting the silence with a simplistic "Hm"

"And that is precisely why I cannot allow any other dangers to weasel their way into the village. I will see to it that my villagers, my friends, my comrades, and.." He hesitated for a moment, "My family. Are safe from harm.."

"That's deep boss.." Notsu said lightly, stretching backwards on the rail then reaching forward and patting his superior's shoulder, "That's real deep."

"Shut up, Notsu."

**A/N: I know I know. I promised the Stakeout. But ya knooooooooow, I haven't written in awhile and had to try changing it up from the little I remembered about this story xD Speaking of not writing, I know I haven't written in awhile. My laptop broke, not only that but I was farrrrr BEYOND busy with school work. :3 I'll try writing more now and I'll hope to get your support! Thanks guys! *Hearts stars rainbows cookies and unikornz with a k and a z***


End file.
